New Orleans – Fifty (50) professional architectural/design firms have been selected to serve in a professional “pool” to provide services as the city prepares to launch multiple recovery/restoration projects through its Project Delivery Unit (PDU). The rationale for the pool is to expedite the A/E process by having evaluated and approved firms on hand to assign to projects without delaying the rebuilding process by issuing out individual Request for Proposals (RFP)s.
“I am encouraged by the hard work that this Administration has done to accelerate our own recovery is moving forward strategically and with one goal in mind -- to get the resources to the street as soon as possible.” said Mayor C. Ray Nagin.
“Now that the PDU unit is staffed and MWH is on board, the city has 33 projects in its initial phase to release at one time. These projects have been assigned to 22 different A/E firms. This increases our capacity to move forward in a more expeditious manner” said Ed Blakely, Director, Office of Recovery and Development Administration (ORDA).
On November 20, 2007 the City of New Orleans, Chief Administrative Office and Capital Projects Administration advertised a RFP to obtain experienced firms to create a “pool” of entities to provide professional architectural/engineering design and contract administration services. The RFP was publicly advertised and a total of 55 proposals were received in response to the request. On February 6, the selection review panel evaluated and ranked the proposals, and qualified firms were recommended for approval. On, February 18, 2008, Mayor Nagin approved 50 firms to serve in a professional “pool”.
“The firms selected from this pool will face a unique challenge as we progress. We will ask them to respect New Orleans’ rich architectural history while designing structures that are sustainable for future generations and minimize our impact on the environment. We look forward to partnering with them in meeting that challenge.” said Lisa Cookmeyer, Program Manager, MWH.